Pork is a staple in our diet. If we don’t have it at least once a week in some form or the other, our guys tend to get quite “hangry” (anger that is fuelled by hunger!). So when we heard that there is a couple who have dedicated their lives to promoting all things pork, we were overjoyed.
Big Bad Wolf first started off as a pop-up at the street food festivals and was an immediate hit. They then went on to do deliveries but that too only on specific days of the week. About two months ago though, they decided to convert their front yard and car porch in to a seating area and opened up an actual restaurant. We paid them a visit on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Located in between the Dialog and HNB buildings in Nawala junction, this little lane is a bit hard to find. (Don’t go by Google maps because it will lead you elsewhere!). However the owners Paul and Liz tell us they hope to have a mural done on their wall so that this will be the landmark for hungry fans. Once you do locate the place, there are two seating options to choose from. We are told the evenings are perfect for a catch-up with friends or family as the sun sets and the lights come on dimly illuminating the garden. Might even be ideal for an intimate date with a twist.
If you are expecting though to have fancy menus brought to your table by a waiter in uniform, wrong place to be. What you will find though is warm and welcoming greetings from the owners who themselves play multiple roles of waiter, chef and entertainers. Paul does much of the waiting tables while it is Liz who is the maestro in the kitchen. Either way it seems to work for them. Then there’s “Odie” who sits by the entrance to the kitchen watching your every move but not really too bothered to venture out. At first you may think he is the “wolf” of this fairytale but unfortunately Odie is allergic to pork and can only wolf down (no pun intended!) a bun or two while his mistress prepares those delicious meals.
The menu at Big Bad Wolf is a simple A4 sheet on a board that actually keeps changing periodically. This is mainly because the recipes keep evolving with feedback from regular customers. However there are a few favourites that have stood the test of time and we had to order a few. Of these we ordered the Pork and Bacon Burger and the Classic Ribs. From the newer additions we ordered a typical Burgher meal of Yellow Rice with Kalu Pol, Potatoes and Pickle.
The Pork and Bacon Burger is a ground pork patty and a substitution of Strips of Bacon instead of the Lettuce Leaf. With chunks of meat and a bun that is overflowing this is one messy meal. (Tip: Ask for lots of tissues when you order!). We thought a great addition to this would be a slice of pineapple which would just make it perfect. Even without though the burger is a fulfilling meal for the stomach and the soul.
Next came our plate of 6 rather large ribs. All the sauces used at BBW are homemade to ensure authenticity in the recipe. Served with basic coleslaw the ribs were not too tender where the meat just melts off the bone and neither was it too tough. It was just perfectly seasoned, perfectly done, ribs that were a simple pleasure to tuck in to. Again messy but totally worth it.
The rice dish was nothing too fancy but the Kalu Pol Pork was definitely a winner. It wasn’t spicy to the degree of burning your taste buds but wasn’t too bland either. To accompany our meals we ordered both a Naarang Juice and a Ginger Beer both homemade by a local supplier. The Ginger Beer worked best with all our food choices and we highly recommend it.
Once we had been total “pigs” about our meal, we had enough room to try one of the signature desserts and chose a Brownie Smore from a list of about five. To say the very least, we were not disappointed. The warm chocolatey brownie was further “gooeyfied” (if that’s a word!) by the marshmallows on top melted to perfection. Every bite was like a combination of chocolate heaven. The perfect end to a hearty meal.
BBW is not rocket science cooking. It is the simplicity of the place, the people and the food that we love so much. Since then we’ve placed delivery orders and have tried many of the burgers and wraps as well which live up to the “so much pork” persona. But we definitely recommend eating at the restaurant itself for the full scale of yumminess.
So here’s our rating…
Location **** (Location is a bit elusive but we guess that works too!)
Ambiance **** (The garden is great for an evening catch-up!)
Service **** (Service is slow considering that 3 people run the show but we didn’t mind the wait!)
Food **** (We love our pork, let’s leave it at that!)
Overall ****
Reviewed by #FoodiesSL
INFORMATION:
Address: 277 Nawala Road, Nawala.
Tel: 0767 270389